Skeet and Bird Tracker

ABSTRACT

A device receives an initial velocity of a projectile, determines a barrel position and a barrel orientation of a barrel, determines a target position, a target velocity and a projected target trajectory in relation to the barrel position and barrel orientation, determines a lead position in front of the projected target trajectory of an interception of the projectile at the target and presents the lead position to a user device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to earlier filed provisionalapplication No. 62/299,384 filed Feb. 24, 2016 and entitled SKEET ANDBIRD TRACKER, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure is in the technical field of shooting sports.More particularly, the present disclosure is in the technical field ofshooting moving targets. There are many shooting sports that involvemoving targets, including bird hunting, skeet, and trap. Shooting movingtargets requires the shooter to lead the target for a proper hit. Theproper target lead is dependent on many factors, including, but notlimited to, initial target velocity, target direction, target range,initial shot velocity, and the ballistics of the shot and target.Shooters typically learn proper target lead through a process of trialand error. The input to this learning process after each shot is eithera hit result or a miss result. Unfortunately, many beginners to skeetshooting are unable to hit a single target after dozens of shots.Receiving only miss results, the beginner is not able to begin asuccessful learning process. These frustrated beginners give up on thesport because they fail to establish a proper target lead.

On the other end of the experience spectrum, advanced shooters almostalways receive hit results. These shooters have a difficult timeimproving further since they are not able to differentiate betweencenter hits and moderately off-center hits. There are a number oftraining aids that have been devised to help estimate the proper targetlead. One type of aid is a physical modification to the sights thatpresents a fixed lead estimate to the shooter. This estimate is onlyvalid under specific conditions, such as a controlled skeet launch and aspecific shooting station. However, variations in the specific skeetlaunch can invalidate the assumptions used to set the estimated lead.Also, these aids do not provide additional feedback to the shooter afterthe shot.

Another type of training aid is tracer ammunition. Tracer ammunitionmakes the actual shot visible to the shooter. This gives the shootersome indication of the direction of a miss, but there are also ambiguousindications. For instance, a miss can first present the shot in front ofthe target. A fraction of a second later, the shot can be presentedbehind the target. This ambiguity makes it difficult for the shooter todetermine if they had too much or too little lead.

Video analysis is another method to provide post-shot feedback to theshooter. This type of feedback is similar to using tracer ammunition,except that the feedback can be slowed down and analyzed repeatedly.Video collected before and after the shot is examined by the shooter torecreate the experience of the shot for the shooter. Unfortunately,video analysis suffers from the same ambiguity as the use of tracerammunition. Further, the feedback received through video analysis stillrequires the use of trial and error to determine the proper lead.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An optical tracking device that is mounted to a shooting device isdisclosed. The optical tracking device captures and analyzes a targettrajectory and presents the shooter with a very accurate analysis of thehit or miss pattern.

In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving an initial velocity of aprojectile, determining a barrel position and a barrel orientation of abarrel, determining a target position, a target velocity and a projectedtarget trajectory in relation to the barrel position and barrelorientation, determining a lead position in front of the projectedtarget trajectory of an interception of the projectile at the target andpresenting the lead position to a user device.

In another embodiment, a computing device comprises a processor and amemory operably coupled to the processor, wherein the processor isconfigured to receive an initial velocity of a projectile, determine abarrel position and a barrel orientation of a barrel, determine a targetposition, a target velocity and a projected target trajectory inrelation to the barrel position and barrel orientation, determine a leadposition in front of the projected target trajectory of an interceptionof the projectile at the target, and present the lead position to a userdevice.

In a further embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable mediumhaving computer-executable instructions that when executed by aprocessor cause the processor to perform receiving an initial velocityof a projectile, determining a barrel position and a barrel orientationof a barrel, determining a target position, a target velocity and aprojected target trajectory in relation to the barrel position andbarrel orientation, determining a lead position in front of theprojected target trajectory of an interception of the projectile at thetarget and presenting the lead position to a user device.

In yet another embodiment, a method, comprises receiving an initialvelocity of a projectile, determining a barrel position and a barrelorientation of a barrel, determining a shot pattern of the projectile inrelation to at least one of time and distance and presenting the shotpattern to a user device.

In yet a further embodiment, a computing device comprises a processorand a memory operably coupled to the processor, wherein the processor isconfigured to receive an initial velocity of a projectile, determine abarrel position and barrel orientation, determine a shot pattern of theprojectile in relation to at least one of time and distance and presentthe shot pattern to a user device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a tracking device interfaced to a shootingdevice and various presentation and storage devices according to anembodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 1a is a diagram showing the tracking device operating as part of aseparate set of glasses or headset according to an embodiment of theinstant disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram expanding the tracking device major functionsaccording to an embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a flow chart showing steps that the invention executesaccording to an embodiment of the instant disclosure having targettracking.

FIG. 3B is a flow chart showing steps that the invention executesaccording to an embodiment of the instant disclosure without targettracking.

FIG. 4 shows a shot pattern analysis visible on a wireless displaydevice according to an embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 5 show the compilation and history of the pattern analysis since alast history reset was executed according to an embodiment of theinstant disclosure.

FIG. 6 show trajectories and position of a target at various ranges fora given angular rotation rate of the shooting device and image accordingto an embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows relative positions of the shot pattern to the target whenrange is estimated by the shooter or not yet measured according to anembodiment of the instant disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is an optical tracking device 102 that ismounted to a shooting device 104. The tracking device is aligned to theshooting device so that it has knowledge of the axis and parallaxoffsets that should be corrected by assuming or measuring, or having theuser input the distance from the lens to the center of the barrel. Thedevice is aligned to the boresight of the gun using a laser, selectingan aim point on the display, aiming at a target at a fixed range, or useof a boresighting device inserted into the barrel visible to the device.The tracking device will analyze the target and present the results toat least one of a display device 106 and/or an audio headphone 108 thatprovides feedback to the shooter in real-time or near real-time on howto improve the shot. The feedback can be presented similar to FIG. 4where the target location relative to the shot pattern is displayed. Inaddition to the visual feedback, an audio feedback can be played tellingthe shooter where the center of the pattern is in relation to thetarget. For example, it could play “Eight Inches to the Left” if theshot center was 8 inches behind a rightward moving target. The displaydevice 106 will also, in one embodiment, provide an internet connectionvia built in Wi-Fi or cellular based such as a 4G connection, or viawireless or wired connection to a device connected to the internet tothe “Cloud” 110 for storage and social media applications.

In FIG. 1a , a separate tracking device such as a camera, gyro, displayand processor mounted within or on a set of glasses 1 a 02 is worn bythe shooter. The shooting device 1 a 04 is tracked along with the targetso that all of the relevant coordinate transformations can be performed.The glasses may also contain the display in the form of asemitransparent screen such as an LCD, projection onto the glasses lens,projection onto the user's retina, hologram, reflection of a display ona semitransparent screen in the user's line of sight, or any otherdevice containing a processor and memory that can provide the feedbackto the shooter after the shot.

FIG. 2 is an expansion of the optical tracking device. A rotationmeasuring device 202 is constantly sampling and storing information in arotating buffer where several seconds of data can be retrieved, whenenabled by the user either through a button, voice command, specific gunorientation, or gun motion or series of motions, or remotely from theexternal device such as a tablet or cell phone. In addition, a camera204 is continually taking images and also storing them in a rotatingbuffer where the last N photos can be retrieved. When the shot detectionfunction 206 detects that a shot has been fired by measuring a suddenacceleration of the gun in the axis of the barrel via an accelerometeror gyroscope, measuring the angular rates via a gyroscope, sensing anabrupt shift in the image via subsequent image comparisons, measuringthe loud sound through a speaker or pressure transducer, strain gauge onthe gun, observation of the gun action, or any combination of these, theprocessor 210 will retrieve the contents of the rotation measurement andthe image storage buffers 212. The processor 210 will then perform atrajectory analysis using the setup information 208 and the image androtation data by using the inertial gun rate and data from the images tocalculate the target relative rate with respect to the camera as well asrange. The target inertial rotational velocity is calculated and usedalong with range to determine the angle the target with travel beforethe projectile crosses its path. This angle is compared to the angle ofthe shot pattern as defined by the choke but could be a linear distanceif linear rates and distances are used to define the impact location.The results of this process are exported for presentation to the user'sdevice (herein described as the user or the user's device) via awireless interface 214, such as Bluetooth, WiFi, or cellular. The datacould also be displayed on a screen attached to the device, throughheadphones connected to the device or a speaker on the device, orthrough a USB, HDMI, and VGA, Ethernet or other connection to a displayor additional device.

In FIG. 3A, a camera 302 records images or video (continuously orintermittently) while enabled. These images or videos are stored inmemory 304. Recording can be enabled by activating a button or switch,when the gun senses it is pointed at or above the horizon based onaccelerometer measurements, a shake or tap or other defined motion (suchas a tilt, roll, or series of motions) based on gyro or accelerometermeasurements, by a pressure sensitive switch in the gun buttstock, orsensing the closure of the action based on gyro or accelerometermeasurements, verbally via a microphone, a timer initiated by the deviceor a connected device, or by synchronizing with a target throwingmachine. When the firing detector 306 senses the discharge of theshooting device, a number of images (N) are extracted from memory andpassed to the target range logic 308 and target position logic 310.Typically this will be the two images collected just before discharge,however prior images may be used especially if the target is not locatedin one of the images or if the range or velocity estimate is outside apredefined bound. Target range logic 308 is performed in processor 210on all or some of the extracted images and/or manual range to produce anestimate of the range to the target. If range is measured using radar orLIDAR, or other direct measurements, the images may not need to be used.

Optionally, range logic 308 can be an automatic or manual or fixedoperation. If automatic, the logic can use knowledge of the target suchas size to determine range. Other methods of determining range couldinclude radar, sonar, stereo or more images, LIDAR, laser range finding,or estimation of range based on time of flight of a clay pigeon knowinginitial velocity and launch angle and initial position from device. Ifthe automatic process fails to determine the range to target orestimates the wrong range as determined by a predefined maximum andminimum range or by user input, the user can override the range with amanual input 312 or the system could use a default or most likely rangeestimate based on time of flight and user location and target initiallocation and velocity or from the geometry of the area around the user.If manually entered, the user would enter the range to target whichcould be around the time of discharge or later. The user estimate ofrange can be aided by displaying targets at known distances forreference by including appropriately scaled images of the targets atvarious ranges in the display. If the range is neither automaticallydetermined nor manually entered, a predetermined single range or seriesof ranges can be used based on default ranges programmed into the deviceor as default ranges based on what game is played such as skeet or trapand or knowledge of where the user is located on the range.

Target position logic 310 is performed in processor 210 on all, some, ornone (none if the target position is determined by non-optical meanssuch as a radar or LIDAR) of the extracted images to produce an estimateof the target position. If target location is measured using radar orLIDAR, or other direct measurements, the images may not need to be used.Optionally, 310 can be an automatic or manual operation. If automatic,the logic searches the image for the intended target. If the target isambiguous, for example, multiple targets or the logic is unable todetect a target, the user can select the intended target for theboresight offset. If the automatic process fails to select the correcttarget, the user can override the selection and choose the targetthrough the remote interface or a keypad or touchscreen on the device.

The rotational rates of the gun can be measured in 314 using agyroscope, GPS, measuring the relative rate of the gun compared toanother frame of reference for example, measuring the rate of the gunusing data from a stationary camera located on the ground, or on amoving camera whose own rate is known mounted in the shooter's glassesor on their body or headgear. In the preferred embodiment, the directoutput of a gyroscope is used to measure at least one dimension ofrotational rate largely coinciding with the movement of the target.Measuring a second dimension significantly improves impact predictionaccuracy in cases where the movement of the target does not largelycoincide with the first dimension. Measuring more than two dimensionsmarginally improves the impact prediction accuracy if the shooterrotates the gun around the axis of the barrel.

The rate of the target is measured in the preferred embodiment usingchanges in target location over time in a series of images in targetrate logic 318 which can be an inertial linear velocity, angularvelocity relative to the camera or gun, or inertial angular velocity.Target rate logic 318 is performed in processor 210 using the rotationrates of the gun and the extracted images to produce an estimate of thetarget inertial rate. The relative angular velocity of the target can bemeasured by comparing two or more successive images to determine howmany pixels the target moved in a given time. The angular velocity isthe number of pixels multiplied by the angle represented by each pixel.The target inertial rate can be found by adding the inertial rate of thecamera to the measured relative rate. The target rate can optionally bemeasured using a camera that is stationary on the ground, radar, sonar,stereo imaging, LIDAR, or laser range finding.

The point of impact of the shot logic 320 is performed in processor 210and uses the inertial rate of the gun, range to target, initial velocityof the projectile 322, and optional choke 324 if the shooting device isa shotgun. The result is the position of the target and the shotrelative to the point of aim at the moment that the target and the shotare both at the same distance from the shooter. This would correspond tothe moment of impact if the shot hits the target. The point of aim 316is the measured aim point or measured projectile trajectory at a knownrange on the image. When the camera and gun are not co-located, thepoint of aim 316 is adjusted based on gun position and orientation whichdetermines the direction the gun is pointed and the parallax. The gunposition and orientation can be measured optically using referencepoints on the gun or using RF beacons mounted to the gun and the angleof the gun would determine the change in offset of the reticle on thedisplay.

The logic assumes the trajectory of the target is a circle or circles offixed radius which is the range or ranges and at constant velocity.Optionally the trajectory of the shot can be estimated in a 3dimensional coordinate system or by using a Kalman filter by usingtarget range and angles and gun motion to find the 3d position overtime. The trajectory of the shot consists of the initial orientation andinitial velocity of the shooting device as well as initial velocity ofthe projectile. The orientation of the gun is used for determining theeffects of gravity on the projectile trajectory. The orientation can bemeasured by means such as an accelerometer or optionally a fixed valueused such as 20 degrees to cover a typical shooting scenario. Theinitial velocity of the projectile is a vector and therefore has 3components, the first oriented with the axis of the barrel, the secondoriented typically to the left or right of the gun, and the lastoriented typically up or down. These axes are ideally orthogonal to eachother, but can be oriented arbitrarily. The initial velocity in thedirection of the axis of the barrel, V0, is the muzzle velocity of theshot. The initial velocity to the right or left, V0h, is the horizontalangular rate of the gun times the length of the gun. The initialvelocity up or down, V0v, is the vertical angular rate of the gun timesthe length of the gun. The horizontal and vertical linear velocities aremultiplied by the time of flight and used to compensate for shot motiondue to projectile initial linear velocity. Optionally, if the initialvectors are not oriented to the left or right or up and down relative tothe gun, the gun rate components corresponding to the initial vectorcomponents are used. Optionally, a length other than that of the gun canbe used which may or may not enhance the accuracy of the compensation.This could happen if the shooter holds the gun far back on theirshoulder which would be further from the center of rotation of theirbody, or if the gun length is unknown, or if only barrel length isknown.

Taking all the components of the initial velocity of the projectile intoconsideration improves the precision of the point of impact asignificant amount. This improvement provides the user with a moreaccurate prediction of the point of impact. This could mean thedifference between predicting a hit or a miss, especially when the gunis rotating at a high angular rate. Under typical conditions, we wouldexpect to see an angular rate of 60 deg/s for a target at 30 yards.Using a 48 inch long gun using 1100 ft/s shot, we would expect to see alinear motion at the point of impact of 4.1 inches. For a target that is4 inches in diameter, this could indicate a miss for shots that are atthe outer area of the pattern. Optionally the logic can compensate foraerodynamic effects of the shot or drop due to gravity by increasing thetime of flight before impact and moving the reticle in the direction ofgravity based on the equations X=X0+V0*time+½*G*timê2, andangle=X/range. The time it takes for the projectile to impact the targetis based on the initial velocity of the shot, range to target, andoptionally change in shot velocity over time and velocity of target. Thelogic will predict where the target will be using the location atprojectile discharge, inertial rate as measured by the camera and gyro,and where the shot will be at the estimated time of impact using theusing information gathered at and or before the time of discharge suchas boresight of the gun to camera, muzzle velocity, and gun inertialrate. Optionally, using information based on choke used for a shotgun,the size of the pattern of the shot at the target range can be combinedwith the impact location to determine where the target was in relationto the pattern. Optionally the information about point of impact wouldbe stored in memory.

Using the velocity profile of the projectile and the distance to target,the time of flight for the projectile to travel the distance to targetcan be calculated. Using the angular rate of the target and thecalculated time of flight, the angle the target moves can be calculated.The position of the target relative to the gun is known at the time ofdischarge and the position of the target at the end of time of flight iscalculated using the position at discharge and the movement of thetarget over the time of flight of the projectile. The position at theend of time of flight is compared to the gun boresight at discharge andthe angular difference will determine the accuracy of the shot.

The tracking logic 328 in 308, 310, 318, and 320 can be performed on thegun near the camera. Alternatively, the logic processing can occurseparate from the gun. For example, the processing may occur in anexternal processing unit that is worn by the shooter that sits on theground near the shooter, that is on a smartphone carried by the shooter,or that is remote. The input to and the output from the processing unitcan take place via wired or wireless means and could also traverse theinternet to reach remote locations.

Any of the information from 320 is passed to a local or remote interface326. An example of a local interface would be a screen on the device oraudio originating from the device to an included speaker or throughheadphones. An example of a remote interface would be a device separatefrom the original device, cellular telephone, tablet, computer,internet, or television. The information passed to a remote interfacecan be stored or otherwise made optionally available for statistics andhistory of shots taken or sharing with others. It is optional that theinformation be used for scoring purposes where, for example, theposition of the target in the pattern can be scored similar to rings anda bullseye on rifle target where the points increase as the target getscloser to the pattern center.

FIG. 3B is a modification of the design shown in FIG. 3A without thetracking logic module 328. This enables hunting applications where thetarget is unknown to the device such as a bird. The user is presentedwith the video of the shot and with information about the boresight andshot pattern for self-analysis. The user then reviews the data toanalyze why they may have missed their intended target.

In FIG. 3B, a camera 302 records images or video (continuously orintermittently) while enabled. These images or videos are stored inmemory 304. Recording can be enabled by activating a button or switch,when the gun senses it is pointed at or above the horizon based onaccelerometer measurements, a shake or tap or other defined motion (suchas a tilt, roll, or series of motions) based on gyro or accelerometermeasurements, by a pressure sensitive switch in the gun buttstock, orsensing the closure of the action based on gyro or accelerometermeasurements, verbally via a microphone, a timer initiated by the deviceor a connected device, or by synchronizing with a target throwingmachine. The rotational rates of the gun can be measured in 314 using agyroscope, GPS, measuring the relative rate of the gun compared toanother frame of reference for example, measuring the rate of the gunusing data from a stationary camera located on the ground, or on amoving camera whose own rate is known mounted in the shooter's glassesor on their body or headgear.

The point of impact of the shot logic 320 is performed in processor 210and uses the inertial rate of the gun, initial velocity of theprojectile 322, and optional choke 324 if the shooting device is ashotgun. The point of aim 316 is the measured aim point or measuredprojectile trajectory at a known range on the image. When the camera andgun are not co-located, the point of aim 316 is adjusted based on gunposition and orientation which determines the direction the gun ispointed and the parallax. The gun position and orientation can bemeasured optically using reference points on the gun or using RF beaconsmounted to the gun and the angle of the gun would determine the changein offset of the reticle on the display. The trajectory of the shotconsists of the initial orientation and initial velocity of the shootingdevice as well as initial velocity of the projectile. Optionally thelogic can compensate for aerodynamic effects of the shot or drop due togravity by increasing the time of flight before impact and moving thereticle in the direction of gravity based on the equationsX=X0+V0*time+½*G*timê2, and angle=X/range. The logic will predict apoint of impact using the location at projectile discharge, inertialrate as measured by the camera and gyro, and where the shot will be atthe estimated time of impact using the using information gathered at andor before the time of discharge such as boresight of the gun to camera,muzzle velocity, and gun inertial rate. Optionally, using informationbased on choke used for a shotgun, the size of the pattern of the shotat distance

FIG. 4 shows a typical shot analysis that is presented after each shot.Two circles 402 represent where the pellets from the shot pass thru theplane of the target. The inner circle represents a solid hit where theprobability of a clay break is likely >90%. The outer circle representsthe outermost distance where any pellet can be. In this area thelikelihood of a clay break is reduced to 0 or near-zero. The target 406is shown projected in time from the last image at the time of the shot.The small dots 404 on the left of the display represent the last Npositions of the target before the shot. The most recent being thelargest of the 4. This allows the shooter to know how he is visuallytracking the target just before the shot. There is a large variety ofcircles or reticles that can be utilized in the display that representadditional information for the shooter feedback.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of how the history of the shots can bedisplayed to the shooter. When a reset of history occurs via user inputor maximum number of shots in the history is reached, just the twocircles 502 are present. After each shot, a dot 504 is added to thedisplay representing where the target was relative to the shot patternof the pellets. This will continue after each shot until the history isreset. Additional circles or reticles can also be used here which defineprobabilities of hits for a given choke, measured shot pattern shape, orrings which define a score based on distance away from the boresight.

FIG. 6 shows the basis for the analysis and display when the targetrange is not measured by the tracking device. This occurs when anunknown class of target or one that is quickly changing its shape makesan automated range estimate difficult or unreliable. In the genericcase, when range is unknown because the image processing fails todetermine size of the target, but the angular rates of the shootingdevice and relative movement in the sequential images is known, thenvarious leads are required to hit the target. The figure shows a targetat 4 different predefined or user input ranges of 40, 30, 20, and 10yards 602, 604, 606, 608. When the angular rate as observed from theshooter is the same, then the target will move a distance given by theangular rate in radians X the range X (range/pellet velocity). Thisresults in the target moving by 610, 612, 614, 616 distances.

FIG. 7 shows how this situation can be displayed to the shooter afterthe shot. In this figure, a target 702 is moving at some measuredangular rate relative to the shooter, using the camera inertial rate andthe target rate relative to the camera to determine the angular rate. Atthe time of the shot, the pellets will follow an expanding pattern, asdefined by the choke or a user input of a pattern geometry, representedby the two circles 704 in the figure. The position of the target isrepresented by the four dots if it were at the 10, 20, 30, or 40 yardrange from the shooter. The shooter then estimates how for the targetwas away from his visual observations. It is a very natural skill for ahunter to be able to judge these short ranges to the target. If theshooter estimates the range to be 20 to 30 yards away, then a hit shouldhave occurred. If, however the shooter estimated the target was 40 yardsaway, then a larger lead of the target would be necessary for the nextshot. Additional circles or reticles can also be used here.

In various embodiments, a device, a system, and a method comprisereceiving an initial velocity of a projectile, determining a barrelposition and a barrel orientation of a barrel, determining a shotpattern of the projectile in relation to at least one of time anddistance and presenting the shot pattern to a user device. Theembodiments further, optionally include, receiving a choke, determiningthe shot pattern of the projectile with distance, determining a firingof the projectile, wherein the presentation of the shot pattern is avisual display, wherein the barrel orientation comprises at least one ofa barrel angle and a barrel rotation, wherein the barrel orientation isprovided by at least one of a gyroscope and an accelerometer.

Embodiment 1

A device which is able to determine the position and velocity of atarget and position and velocity of the shooting device at and aroundthe time of discharge of the shooting device. The device is able todetermine where the target is located in relation to the shot or shotpattern which was projected from the shooting device. The device is alsoable to interface with the user or other devices for the purpose ofshowing where the target was in relation to the shot or shot pattern,the history and or statistics of prior shots, provide a score based oninformation of the shot or gun in relation to the target, and share thehistory and or statistics and or score with others via the internet.

The positions and rates can be measured using any of the describedmethods above in any of the coordinate frames described above.

Embodiment 2

A device described in Embodiment 1 where the device is mounted to thegun and measures the positions and velocities of the gun using a ratesensor or inertial measurement unit. The position and velocity of thetarget is determined by the positions of the target as captured by acamera mounted to the gun.

Embodiment 3

A device described in Embodiment 1 where the device is worn by the userof the shooting device and measures the positions and rates of the worndevice, the positions and rates of the shooting device relative to theworn device, and the positions and rates of the target relative to theworn device.

Embodiment 4

A device described in Embodiment 1 where the device is stationary andmeasures the positions and rates of the shooting device relative to thestationary device, and the positions and rates of the target relative tothe stationary device.

Embodiment 5

The device is mounted to the gun and contains a camera and rate sensor.The orientation and rate of the gun is estimated and or measured by therate sensor. The position and rate of the target are estimated and ormeasured by the camera.

Embodiment 6

The device is mounted to glasses or hat worn by the user and contains acamera and rate sensor. The orientation and rate of the device isestimated and or measured by the rate sensor. The position and rate ofthe shooting device are estimated by the position and change of positionof the shooting device measured by the camera. The position and rate ofthe target are estimated and or measured by the camera.

Embodiment 7

The device is mounted to stationary stand and contains a camera. Theposition and rate of the shooting device are estimated by the positionand change of position of the shooting device measured by the camera.The position and rate of the target are estimated and or measured by thecamera.

Embodiment 8

The device is mounted to the gun and contains a camera and rate sensor.Image and sensor information is passed from the gun-mounted electronicsto a computer at a remote processing location. The processed results arepresented on a website that is accessed by a web browser or mobileapplication.

Embodiment 9

The device is mounted to the gun and contains a camera and rate sensor.Image and sensor information is passed from the gun-mounted electronicsto a smartphone application for processing and display.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving an initial velocity of a projectile; determining a barrel position and a barrel orientation of a barrel; determining a target position, a target velocity and a projected target trajectory in relation to the barrel position and barrel orientation; determining a lead position in front of the projected target trajectory of an interception of the projectile at the target; and presenting the lead position to a user device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial velocity of the projectile is determined using a barrel length.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising; receiving a choke; and determining a shot pattern of the projectile with distance.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising uploading to a cloud storage device an overlay of the projected target trajectory, the lead position and the shot pattern.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation of the lead position is one of a visual display and audio.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the barrel orientation comprises at least one of a barrel angle and a barrel rotation.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the barrel orientation is provided by at least one of a gyroscope and an accelerometer.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a range from the barrel position to the target position.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determined range is based on at least one of a radar, sonar, laser rangefinder and lidar.
 10. A computing device, comprising: a processor; and a memory operably coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive an initial velocity of a projectile; determine a barrel position and a barrel orientation of a barrel; determine a target position, a target velocity and a projected target trajectory in relation to the barrel position and barrel orientation; determine a lead position in front of the projected target trajectory of an interception of the projectile at the target; and present the lead position to a user device.
 11. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising instructions to; receive a choke; and determine a shot pattern of the projectile with distance.
 12. The computing device of claim 11, further comprises an upload to a cloud storage device an overlay of the projected target trajectory, the lead position and the shot pattern.
 13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the presentation of the lead position is one of a visual display and audio.
 14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the barrel orientation comprises at least one of a barrel angle and a barrel rotation.
 15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the barrel orientation is provided by at least one of a gyroscope and an accelerometer.
 16. The computing device of claim 10, further comprises instructions to determine a range from the barrel position to the target position.
 17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the determined range is based on at least one of a radar, sonar, laser rangefinder and lidar.
 18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform: receiving an initial velocity of a projectile; determining a barrel position and a barrel orientation of a barrel; determining a target position, a target velocity and a projected target trajectory in relation to the barrel position and barrel orientation; determining a lead position in front of the projected target trajectory of an interception of the projectile at the target; and presenting the lead position to a user device.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform: receiving a choke; and determining a shot pattern of the projectile with distance.
 20. The computer readable media of claim 18, wherein the barrel orientation comprises at least one of a barrel angle and a barrel rotation.
 21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform determining a range from the barrel position to the target position.
 22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform uploading to a cloud storage device an overlay of the projected target trajectory, the lead position and a projected shot pattern. 